SGVMUG

For those of you who use your Mac for work only may not have heard of the entertainment software company called Valve but if you play or have played any type of FPS (First Person Shooter) you may have heard of them. The company whose “library” includes Half-Life and Counter-Strike announced on March 8th that they are bring their popular Steam client to the Mac and quote …

We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360. Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates. Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients.

To read the full press release go to http://store.steampowered.com/news/3569/

In February, we will not have our regular monthly meeting due to the Presidents Day Holiday and the annual Macworld Expo and Conference  in San Francisco, which will be held Feb. 9-13th. http://www.macworldexpo.com/. We will resume our normal “third-Monday” schedule in March

Macworld image courtesy appadvice.com

This is a meeting you won’t want to miss. The March meeting will feature a wrap-up  of the Macworld Expo, with attendee reports and slideshows highlighting exciting news from the Expo floor. Get the scoop on the latest product announcements, emerging trends, hot new companies, as well as a first-hand report about the pulse of the industry.

Also on board - the latest official Apple rollout announcements - what’s coming from Apple, when it will hit the showrooms, and what it might mean to you as a Mac supporter

Of course, you also will not want to miss our featured new Tips and Tricks to help you get the most out of your Mac and your iPhone.

As usual, we will have a drawing for some excellent prizes. Members receive a free drawing ticket each month. Our featured prize will be a pair of M-AudioStudiophile AV 40 monitors, a $199.99 value!

You can resolve to get more out of your Mac this year!

Join the group - you will learn how to do more and enjoy your Mac or iPhone in ways you probably didn’t know about already.

Plus, for only $30 per year, you will receive additional benefits, including a monthly drawing with a chance to win great prizes every month - it’s a greet return on your investment!

Here’s a quick sample of some past prizes:

• Belkin 802.11g Wireless Router
• 4 GB Flash Drive
• DVD-R 30 Disc spindle
• M-Audio Fastrack USB Audio & MIDI Interface
• Macally wireless mouse
• and much, much more!

HeatShift™ Laptop Cooling Pad from ThermaPAKIn case you missed it, the September 21st meeting featured the HeatShift™ Laptop Cooling pad from ThermaPak, a local Pasadena company. Through the courtesy of Cindy Kang, Product Manager, three representatives of the company - Wayne Wang, Wei Wong, and David Blair – demonstrated this unique solution to the problem of heat dissipation for Macintosh Powerbook (and other) laptop computers.ThermaPAK also was kind enough to provide a HeatShift™  Pad for our drawing and offer a discount to any SGVMUG Members who wished to purchase one. (more…)

Please join us at 7pm on October 19th, 2009 for our monthly general meeting. Topic: Incorporating Your Computer Into Your Home Entertainment System Presenters: David Whitby and Ron Streicher.Your Macintosh computer is ideally suited to become the center of your home entertainment system. You know that it already can play music from your iTunes library, movies from your iMovie library, commercial and personally produced CDs and DVDs, and a host of other audio and video material downloaded from the Internet. But did you also know that there are several applications specifically created to enable you to access multi-media entertainment programming that heretofore has been available only via Cable, Satellite, or DVD sources? (more…)

Here are the URL’s for some of the apps/tools mentioned in today’s meeting:

Readability: - makes your reading experience much better

lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability 

FluidApp: - Allows you to create applications from websites

www.fluidapp.com

CosmoPod: Allows you to capture flash video and convert it to many formats

cocoamug.com/cosmopod/ 

Vixy.net - Allows you to capture flash video and convert it to many formats

The SGVMUG has contracted with the Pasadena Library to continue holding our regular meetings in the Auditorium for the coming year. With three exceptions due the Library’s operating schedule, we will be holding our meetings at our regular date and time: 7:00 p.m. on the third Monday of the month.

The first exception will be in August, 2009, when we will meet on the first Monday, August 3rd, because the Library will be undergoing renovations later in the month. In January, we will meet on the 11th (second Monday) and in February, we will meet on the 8th (also second Monday) because the Library will be closed for the Martin Luther King and Presidents Day holidays respectively.

Thus, here is the meeting schedule for the coming year:
2009: June 15, July 20, August 3, September 21, October 19, November 16, and December 21
2010: January 11, February 8, March 15, April 19, May 17, and June 21

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at our regular meetings, and watch the website for detailed information about each.
Please also let us know what topics you would like us to cover in our meeting presentations. Just send us an e-mail at sgvmug@sgvmug.org with your suggestions.

Best regards,
Ron Streicher, President
San Gabriel Valley Macintosh Users Group

Thomas Ritter here. After being responsible for scheduling the monthly meeting presentations for the past several years, I’ve now changed roles and assumed the office of Treasurer of the SGVMUG.

A couple of years ago, we adopted an annual dues system, concurrent with the calendar year. This means that everyone’s dues are now up for renewal. Dues are $30.00 per year for regular members and $10.00 for full-time student members.  We will be accepting payment at the February 9th meeting or by mail. Checks should be made out to SGVMUG, and mailed to P.O. Box 90005, Pasadena 91109-5005.

Members receive one free red drawing ticket at each meeting, and an extra red ticket if they bring a guest. We also are reorganizing the “Members Only” area on the SGVMUG Website, and will be sending more information about this in the next few weeks. This password protected area will include information about exclusive dealer discounts, news and feature articles, and other special offers.

Another resource for members is our “MacTalk” mailing list, where all topics, questions, or problems relating to Macintosh computers and applications can be posted and discussed among our diverse membership.  Be sure to check our website regularly for more information.

A new method of communication with the board will soon be enabled, but until then, please feel free to direct any questions or comments to Mr. Ron Streicher at ron.streicher@sgvmug.org.

Thanks